Much has been made lately of the debate revolving around the Bitcoin block size. For the uninitiated, a block is found by the network approximately every ten minutes and contains in it a record of all (or most) of the transactions to have occurred over the network since the last block was found. Now this has been a mostly unchanged part of the Bitcoin protocol since it was first introduced in 2009. However, in the past year the network has seen a steady increase in the number of transactions occurring on the network. This has led to a technical problem where, in some instances, not all transactions that have occurred since the previous block can be included in the most recent block. (more…)

While Bitcoin’s price has been in a bit of a slump for most of the last year, there has been no shortage of good news regarding the cryptocurrency. If you’re like a lot of former hobbyist miners and Bitcoin enthusiasts, you may have even begun to tune out. Well it might be time to start paying attention again, as a host of new developments may make Bitcoin and the growing world of cryptocurrencies and mobile banking highly relevant. (more…)

In a world increasingly dominated by surveillance from marketers, tech firms, and big governments, privacy can be tough to come by these days. In an effort to help our readers gain more control over what data is exposed during their web browsing we’ve decided to cover some of the most prominent and easy to use privacy oriented programs. (more…)

So you’ve heard about this whole Dogecoin phenomenon and want to get your paws on some. If so then you’ve come to the right place because that’s exactly what we’re looking to help you do! For those completely new to DOGE, and possibly other cryptocurrencies, Dogecoin is a fun cryptocurrency that can be used to transact online. At the moment it’s mostly used to tip people on sites like Reddit though there are some merchants starting to accept it. If you don’t yet have a Dogecoin wallet and need a full primer I suggest you check out our guide to Getting Started With Dogecoin. (more…)

At the end of 2013 I received an email, purportedly from the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto, containing an invitation to learn the history of Bitcoin at HistoryOfBitcoin.org. While it’s certainly doubtful that this Satoshi Nakamoto has any relation to the elusive creator(s) of Bitcoin, the approach piqued my interest. (more…)

Over the past year Litecoin has solidified its place alongside Bitcoin as a viable digital currency. Accompanying increasing prices has been a deluge of new miners hoping to help run the Litecoin network and earn some coins. Traditionally Litecoin mining has been more efficient with Radeon GPUs, but recent improvements in mining software for NVIDIA cards has significantly increased their efficiency. No longer is cryptocurrency mining with graphics cards the sole territory of AMD/ATI/Radeon. So for all you NVIDIA card owners, here’s your guide to mining Litecoin with NVIDIA graphics cards on Windows as well as a brief overview of cryptocurrency mining. (more…)

Over the past year well over a hundred new cryptocurrencies have formed, each vying for a place alongside Bitcoin. Yet none have done so with the speed and ferocity that we’ve seen over the last few days from the unexpected newcomer Dogecoin. While part of its meteoric rise may have been due to a comedic push by 4chan, there is now little denying Dogecoin has found a niche with cryptocurrency enthusiasts. In the wake of an otherwise tumultuous week for cryptocurrencies, the lightheartedness of the Dogecoin community is both entertaining and uplifting. As such I’ve put together a guide on getting started with Dogecoin. (more…)

For the last couple of months Bitcoin has been on a tear, and as it grabbed more and more headlines I’ve heard more and more of the same. “I should have bought Bitcoin when you first told me about it, now its at $1,000!” seemed to be an all too common statement. A certain euphoria ensues following these dramatic price increases and more and more people ask where can I get some?(more…)

Earlier today a Bitcoin newcomer reportedly received over 22 Bitcoin after holding up a sign with a Bitcoin QR code. In what is one of the most genius demonstrations of the cryptocurrency to date, the Bitcoin enthusiast created and displayed a sign that read “Hi Mom, send ” followed by the Bitcoin symbol. The user, who has thus far only been identified by his reddit username BitcoinPitcher2, had thought that someone might send him a bit as a gag, though the user wasn’t sure the QR code would even be scannable. (more…)

This year’s Bitcoin Black Friday offers the most expansive group of merchants and items we’ve seen thus far from the Bitcoin community. With prices surging in excess of $1000 USD for the first time many merchants are looking to use Bitcoin as a catalyst to increase their holiday sales. Groups such as Namecheap and Virgin Galactic have thrown in their support for this year’s Bitcoin Black Friday in addition to a multitude of other Bitcoin retailers new and old. (more…)